Liquid phase exfoliation of MoSe2: Effect of solvent on morphology, edge confinement, bandgap and number of layers study

Abstract

In this study, a facile and scalable method for synthesizing MoSe2 nanomaterial via a sonication-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation method is proposed. This study shows the successful synthesis of few-layered MoSe2 in various solvents including DI water, ethanol, N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), Dimethylformamide (DMF) and Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The exfoliated nanosheets have remarkably different properties than bulk MoSe2 which were studied using Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis spectroscopy to investigate their morphology, functional groups, structure and optical properties, respectively. The mean values of the number of layers from an optical extinction spectrum based on the effect of edge and quantum confinement were also calculated. Moreover, the exfoliated material using this method has potential application in energy storage as demonstrated by the electrochemical performance of the bulk and exfoliated materials. • Successful synthesis of the few-layer MoSe2 from bulk MoSe2 using liquid phase exfoliation method in various solvents • The investigation of the effect of solvent on the number of layers and optical properties of MoSe2

Keywords

• Liquid phase exfoliation
• MoSe2
• 2D materials
• Optical properties